The Island of Sodor: The New Stories.

The Skarloey Railway (Balladwail - Rumblin' Bridge)

Background

Most of the SKR's history was briefly covered in part one, so some things may be restated. The railway started as a horse drawn plateway that ran from Balladwail to the copper mines at Ward Fell in 1805. This line was simply called The Railroad and was in place for about 60 years. Soon this line was ripped up and a line that ran from Crovan's Gate into the Skarloey Valley took its place. The mine at Ward Fell was still being used but was mining slate instead of copper. This line was appropriately named The Skarloey Railway. There were two engines who ran the line when it first opened, Skarloey and Rheneas. Another engine came to help them from the nearby MSR named Freddie in the late 1940s, but he vanished after less than a month. When these two were worn out by the 1950s, two other engines named Sir Handel and Peter Sam came to run the line while they were sent to be repaired. The controller, Mr. Sam, also bought a little diesel called Rusty. At some point in the 1960s, Mr. Sam sold the slate quarry at Ward Fell to the MOD. This was so the line could be extended around the lake at Skarloey. This loop line was completed around the 100th anniversary of the railway. Shortly after this, Duke was rediscovered and restored in the early 1970s. The line stayed how its depicted in the books until the 1990s. The MOD had finished whatever they were doing with the quarry and were moving their equipment out. Mr. Roger Sam was able to raise enough money to buy the quarry back after Ivo Hugh was finished. Since there were lots of caves around the quarry, someone had the idea to convert the quarry into a spelunking resort. Since this was such a big job, Mr. Sam needed a few more engines. Luckily another engine from the MSR, Bertram, was rediscovered near one of the defunct mines on the old MSR. The men in the workshops also started building another new engine, this one being a double fairlie. This engine would later become Mighty Mac. Even after the resort was done, the SKR still kept expanding. It was discovered that there was a large amount of coal in the foothills of Shane Dooiney (the mountain, not the engine). Mr. Sam quickly had a line built up to it from Lakeside. The development still didn't stop there. Along with buying a few more engines, a lonely inn near Skarloey Road on the CFR called the Way Up Inn approached Mr. Sam about building a line up to it later on. Since the SKR was so successful, he agreed. Little did he know this new extension would be riddled with issues and setbacks. This was mainly due to the rocky terrain. This also put a strain on his fleet, despite how big it was now. Despite the hardships and setbacks, the line was finally completed. Now the line is almost triple the length that was when it first opened. Shortly after this an engine from the old days was restored. Out of all of the railways on the island, there is the most to say about this particular railway, hence the long explanation. For a little railway with little engines, they certainly have a long history.

BALLADWAIL WHARF, CROVAN'S GATE STATION

(See Great Waterton Branch Line/Main Line parts)

CROS-NY-CURIN STATION

Cros-ny-Curin is the first station that branches off from the standard gauge line. The junction to the line down to the wharf is just outside the station. Mr. Hugh, the railway's foreman, lives in a cottage near the line here. An establishment called The Rowans is just up the road from the station. I am not sure what it is, as I've never been myself. I would suggest talking to one of the engines for more information.

GLENNOCK STATION

Glennock is the middle station of the line (and yes, it's pronounced the way it's spelled). The station is named after the inn of the same name. The inn has been around since the days of the Railroad. It was a staging area for the horses, since it was one of the few buildings in the area on the way to the wharf. The Glennock contributed to most of the passenger traffic in the early days. People still flock to this inn during tourist season. Glennock is also between two bridges that cross the Hawin Doorey river.